Voices from the Ice, 1.3

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Ice cores are a “holy grail” in the study of earth’s recent past (less than 1 million years). This is because the “ice” being sampled is not frozen water but consolidated snow which began its terrestrial presence as a loose collection of ice particles with lots of atmospheric air intermingled. As additional snow buries each deposit in regions of permanent snowpack compaction traps this air in smaller and smaller cavities that become bubbles in glacial ice. Sampling of these bubbles, combined with the ability to count summer/winter layers (and dated past volcanic eruption dust) like tree rings, allows scientists to create a historical record of past atmospheric conditions. Contaminants in the ice structure also lend perspective. Although similar historical information can be gleaned from sediments, these are difficult to analyze when less than about 1 million years old. Thus, ice cores represent the best source for aspects of “recent” earth history.  

In the Arctic, a new record has been set for the oldest ice from a core in North America. While older, deeper cores have been retrieved from the Greenland Ice Cap and the southern hemisphere, this new core provides a geographically new site for comparisons between climate in the northern and southern polar regions. 

Quickly dressed, I make my way up one ladder to the bridge. Already arrived are several scientists and crew. Despite the early morning hour, the high latitude summer provides us with midday light conditions. A single mature polar bear moves about the research site with an unconcerned yet curious saunter.  We are in awe of its size. Towering over the largest of the buoys installed, the bear hops up on its back legs and paws at it like a toy.  A double paw jump, a quick bite at the equipment. Deciding it wasn’t a meal, it plops back down on all fours and walks to the large diameter hole drilled into the ice.

The bear sticks its head down with its backside raised into the air. Absent anything fun in the hole, the large off-white mammal lumbers over to some space between the equipment. Obviously, remembering it hadn’t done its yoga for the day, the bear starts with a downward dog stretch, shaking its shoulders a bit. From there, it flops on its back, scratching itself back and forth, not unlike my dog in the yard back home. 

The number of people on the bridge has increased, and the cameras are capturing lots of excitement. It is not uncommon for us to see bears as we transit from one science station to another, but we rarely get the opportunity to see them interact with scientific equipment. 

Properly warmed up, the polar bear stands up and makes its way back to the first buoy. Atop it is an anemometer, spinning into the wind to collect information on the wind’s direction and speed. Now, the bear is interested in this moving thing. He hops back up on his hind legs and one big chomp goes onto it. We all turn to the lead scientist to gauge his reaction. 

His response is rather nonchalant: “That’s pretty cool!” But I know he’s already thinking up a repair plan. 

Having spat out the now-broken anemometer, the bear returns to its inspection of the site. Lacking any more food possibilities, the giant decides it’s time to move on.  We watch it disappear over and then below a far hummock into the icy Arctic Ocean, having witnessed mankind’s effort to better understand its environment and conserve it.

SCIENCE and OPERATIONS – Dramatic Changes at NSF Continues

As reported in the 2nd Quarter edition of Voices, the Trump Administration has made or proposed significant changes to the National Science Foundation (NSF) and its activities. 

Since that report, it has become clear there are at least two different visions for the future of NSF. The Save NSF movement is a coalition of concerned scientists and allies who are working to save NSF funding for scientific grants. By virtue of its FY 2026 budget request that slashes the NSF budget by 56%, the NSF is taking a different approach, although it did celebrate in May its 75th anniversary. Regarding the FY 2026 budget, Polar Society Board member William Muntean reports that the proposed budget would cut by 16% funding for U.S. activities in the two polar regions. 
Additionally, the NSF Director resigned at the end of April and the NSF proceeded with finding a firm to manage the $8 billion, 20-year contract for a wide range of activities in Antarctica. Leidos, which holds the current contract, has chosen not to compete for the next one.

SCIENCE and OPERATIONS – Too Many Rocks

Dr. Thomas Smith, a marine biologist, studied ringed seals and polar bears for forty years, spending most of his life, he said, “in tents in the dark, cooking my own food, which isn’t good food.” Although nominally retired, he keeps busy assuring that cruise ships and oil companies co-exist peacefully with Arctic mammals.

A bearded, crusty, cerebral polar frontiersman, we met him on a cruise around the Svalbard islands. In conversation, Tom might mention the time a polar bear broke through his tent and he had to grab a rifle and shoot within a split second to save his life. Or the ringed seal that twisted the neck of a polar bear when the bear burrowed through the seal’s lair for an attempted quick kill. But our favorite is the tale he told when we talked about how the pioneer polar aviators had to hack out runways on the ice, like Roald Amundsen after a forced landing within a hundred miles of the North Pole in 1925.

“I hacked out a runway like that,” said Tom, who is also a licensed commercial pilot. “I started work on it, then gave it over to an Inuit friend. I had other things to do somewhere else. When I got back there, I saw that he put a huge curve in it (which was obviously not good since when have you ever seen a curved runway). I asked him, ‘Why? Why did you make it curve?’ 

“He said, ‘Too many rocks.’”

Two major meetings related to governing the two polar regions have recently concluded. The Arctic Council, which is the leading international forum promoting cooperation in the Arctic, met virtually on May 12. Delegations from the eight Arctic States (including the United States), six Permanent Participant organizations, Working Groups and Observers attended the meeting. The main outcome of the meeting was the transfer of the Chair of the Council from Norway to Denmark. The eight Arctic States and six Permanent Participant organizations also released an agreed-upon statement that reaffirmed their commitment to maintaining peace, stability and cooperation in the Arctic, and acknowledged the role of the Arctic Council as the pre-eminent forum for circumpolar cooperation for nearly three decades. Council members were pleased to obtain consensus on the statement due to uncertainty about the position of the United States on various topics including peace and environmental topics and since the United States had blocked consensus on a similar statement at the 2019 Council meeting, which was the most recent meeting when President Trump was in office. 

The annual meeting of the Antarctic Treaty and Committee for Environmental Protection (ATCM) took place in Milan, Italy from June 23 to July 3. The 58 members of the Treaty are invited to participate, as are a number of non-government organizations, notably the Scientific Committee for Antarctic Research (SCAR), the Antarctic and Southern Ocean Coalition (ASOC), and the International Association of Antarctic Tour Operators (IAATO).  Major topics that will be discussed during the nine-day meeting include selecting a new executive secretary for the Treaty, tourism, increasing environmental protection, and various logistics and operational items. William Muntean, a Polar Society Board member, moderated a roundtable to preview the meeting, which you can see here.

Outside Building 102, and waiting for the bus, as is my usual habit as a copter pilot, I always look up because as everybody knows, not even the Shadow and his Mom (usually baking cookies or cupcakes), are aware of what might be zipping by overhead.   Lo and behold, I saw an object that was alternately reflecting sunlight along its length, indicating a cylindrical object tumbling: it also seemed somewhat large, but realized it may not have been at very high altitude, or it was an upper stage that was large.  I first thought, oh, oh, a UFO but quickly realized it was the Soviet rocket launch entering a near Polar Orbital track, since it was heading towards Fairbanks so it was quite a surprise to other technicians also waiting for the bus!

I concluded that since the track appeared to be heading into a near or Polar Orbit, it was either a photo reconnaissance or a possible ELINT satellite.  I believe, a check of Aviation Week magazines several weeks later, (I usually read what I could find), possibly confirmed my conclusion that a photo-reconnaissance or ELINT payload passed smack over our radar site.  Had I not “rubber-necked” the sky overhead I would have totally missed it.  It also was quite satisfying to visually observe a Soviet upper stage rocket body.

Historical explorers and some not so old activities in polar regions, have often left behind anything and everything that might be inconvenient to remove. You may have read about the recent efforts to clean up the huge amount of debris left by decades of climbers on Mt. Everest. Here is a feel-good article about a clean-up effort in Antarctica’s Dry Valleys.

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